


I Don't Really Mind

by uxmaren651



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Check Please - Freeform, Jealousy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-07-16
Packaged: 2018-04-09 12:34:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4349021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uxmaren651/pseuds/uxmaren651
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Oh shit, it's like, a town where literally everyone is gay. It's the best thing, every day is gay pride day. They even have a women's weekend, which is so chill on so many levels." Shitty took a deep breath to restrain himself from speaking any further, "But anyway, I haven't been in a while and I was thinking we should go."</p><p>"Oh," Bitty responded breathily. He was happy to be out, but he didn't know if he was quite ready for something like that, no matter how enticing it sounded, "And it's called... Ptown?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I keep writing shitty fanfics and I'm sorry I'm not better at it. Anyway I'm tumblr user gomenilla, who made the original post about Shitty taking Bitty to Ptown, and tumblr user annakomnene made a post about it that sorta took off so I wrote the Ptown trip fic. It's not at all what they wrote in their post, but it's a thing now either way, so...
> 
> ALSO: it's really only teen and up cause they swear so much idk I'm new here I wanna be careful wit the ratings.

 "Bits, you ever been to Ptown?" Shitty asked from the roof outside Bitty's room. 

 

"No, what's that?" Bitty asked curiously, pausing the music blasting from his headphones.

 

"Oh shit, it's like, a town where literally everyone is gay. It's the best thing, every day is gay pride day. They even have a women's weekend, which is so chill on so many levels." Shitty took a deep breath to restrain himself for speaking any further, "But anyway, I haven't been in a while and I was thinking we should go."

 

"Oh," Bitty responded breathily. He was happy to be out, but he didn't know if he was quite ready for something like that, no matter how enticing it sounded, "And it's called... Ptown?"

 

"Nah, it's called Provincetown, it's at the tip of the Cape so it's like two hours away and there are always tons of tourists, but its worth it." Shitty replied, turning around in his chair to face Bitty, who was now leaning on the windowsill. Even in late summer, the air in Massachussetts was surprisingly hot and thick, but it was still nothing like Georgia. 

 

"I've never been to the Cape! Gosh, I've never seen the ocean before!" Bitty practically buzzed, excitement overflowing from within him. He'd always wanted to see the ocean, but Coach and Mama weren't willing to spend a weekend away from home just to see the beach.

 

"Well, SHIT Bits, if you wanted to go to the ocean you shoulda just said so! We sure as fuck don't have to drive two hours to get there! Isn't Georgia on the coast?"

 

"A little bit, but I'm up North where it ain't." Bitty replied, no longer wary of the concept of being surrounded by gay people all day.

 

"Let's go this Saturday. I'll drive," Shitty stood suddenly, "BRAH I am so fucking STOKED." Bitty smiled, moving out of the way so Shitty could climb inside. "I'm gonna tell Rans and Holster, They fucking love Ptown, and I'll see if Jack wants to come too. As soon as Shitty left the room, Bitty started to worry. Jack in Ptown? Jack knew he was gay, sure, but he didn't have to consciously realize it every day. Was he really gonna be okay? He would have worried a lot more if he didn't hear Holster scream "SHOTGUN" from all the way downstairs.

 

When Saturday came, Bitty would be lying if he said he slept well. And he'd also be lying if he said he didn't spend an hour picking out an outfit (he finally decided on the outfit he wore to Spring C). He was nervous and excited that he didn't care about waking up at 8 A.M. on four hours of sleep, so nervous and excited that he made too many pancakes. He had nothing to worry about, though, they were all eaten within 15 minutes of being made, and that was slow compared to the usual 7.

 

Shitty's car was small, but it fit all of them and nobody else that had a car wanted to spend gas money, so they happily squeezed in and rolled down the windows. Bitty, of course, was forced in between Jack and Ransom in the back seat, but was promised that his dinner would be paid for.

 

"Bits, ohmigosh, you're gonna love this, it's pure fucking 'swasome," Holster spoke from the front seat, turned entirely towards the back.

 

"I feel so free there bro, like, Holster and I can hold hands and not get weird looks. They think we're gay but that's not even a bad thing." Ransom nodded.

 

"Bro, we're a little gay." Holster looked at him seriously.

 

"I know...I love it." Ransom replied.

 

Bitty laughed and moved his gaze to the window on his right. Or more specifically to Jack, but who asked. "Have you ever been to Ptown, Jack?"

 

Jack turned his head, "No, actually. I'm looking forward to it."

 

"Oh! Me too!" Bitty looked out the front window, "Ya'll I am SO excited."

 

 And finally, after two hours stuck in a car with a broken AC and mushed between two big guys, Bitty finally saw it, the sign that told him they were entering Ptown. The second they passed the sign, Ransom and Holster cheered, and Jack readied his camera. As soon as he looked out the windows and saw the first gay couple, he felt more emotional than when he came out to Shitty. Like, teary-eyed, shoot-I-gotta-hide-it-from-the-guys-so-they-won't-chirp-me emotional. 

But they all saw and nobody said a word about it. Instead. Shitty found a parking spot and they all jumped out of the car. The sun was immediately ferocious on Bitty's skin, and he dove for the sunscreen in Jack's backpack (well, he was on his tiptoes, but that's not the point). 

 

"Geez, this is like the sun in Georgia!" Bitty complained, rubbing the questionable off-brand 30 spf suncreen on his legs. 

 

"Yeah bro, the cape is brutal. Same with Nantucket, it has something to do with being completely fucking surrounded by the ocean, probably." Shitty responded, removing his shirt and sliding sunglasses onto his face. Bitty immediately noticed the stares. All types of guys trailed their eyes over Shitty- he supposed it wasn't surprising, as Shitty was pretty sculpted and had a good face.

But that's the thing, it WAS surprising. In such a good way. Bitty beamed up at Shitty, who lowered his sunglasses and winked back. And that's when Bitty noticed that he was getting stared at too. He looked down at his exposed thighs and immediately regretted the shorts, his cheeks turning pink. 

 

"Guys, come on," Holster waved his free hand (the other holding tight onto Ransom's) at them, "And Jack, what the hell is up with your face right now?"

 

Bitty turned around to see the tail end of a grimace slide off of Jack's face, who stood stiffly holding onto his backpack straps. Bitty laughed, adjusting the sunglasses that rested on his hair and turning around to catch up with Shitty, Holster, and Ransom, leaving Jack in the dust. Which is how most of the day went. They walked all over the tiny, happy town, attracting a lot of attention, waiting for Jack, who was always a few steps behind them, to take pictures. But then they stopped in a small restaurant for lunch, where the guy who's nametag said Nate at the counter relentlesly attempted to hit on Bitty, who could only stammer and blush. When he was done ordering, Jack immediately stepped in front of him, obscuring Bitty's view of the employee. 

At first he was upset. Jack knew this was a huge deal for him. But then, maybe he didn't? Maybe he hadn't realized that Nate was flirting with him in the first place, and just moved to place his order. Bitty sat down at the table Shitty picked in the corner by the window. 

 

"Bits, look at this fucking view." Shitty jerked his thumb at the window, where Bitty gasped. It looked like a picture, little white sailboats with colorful accents bobbing on the calm waves, the bright little houses surrounded by lush trees. Jack came up behind him, signified not by footsteps or words but by the  _click!_  of the shutter on the camera. 

 

"Good view," Jack commented queitly, taking a seat next to Bitty. Ransom and Holster had just taken a selfie, the restaurant their backdrop. 

 

"Ya'll are ridiculous," Bitty rolled his eyes, not bothering to check the new notification that lit up his phone, "My Instagram feed has been crazy." 

 

"Yeah well my Twitter feed makes it look like I'm only following you." Holster replied smoothly, turning around excitedly when their names were called, and the same guy that took their orders brought their food over. 

 

"What's that?" Ransom asked, looking at the folded paper stuck onto the toothpick in Bitty's sandwich. Before he even opened it, Bitty knew it was Nate's number.

 

"Brah," Shitty said, teeming with excitement and peering over Bitty's shoulder as he read the string of numbers, signed with a winky face and his name, "He gave you his fucking number."

 

"Oh my gosh," Bitty gasped, gazing wide-eyed at the note. He couldn't bring himself to look up at Nate, so instead he looked down at his plate.

 

"Bro, that's 'swasome!" Holster cheered, wrapping an arm around Ransom's neck, who laughed.

 

"Eric Bittle, seducer of all men," Ransom lifted his drink.

 

Bitty blushed at his sandwhich, "Aw, geez, ya'll better stop it!" 

 

"I gotta text Lardo about this," Shitty nodded, whipping out his phone. "Aw shit, her reply was 'I'm so fucking happy for him, but really, I'm so mad you guys went to Ptown without me, what the fuck is up with that.'"

 

Next to Bitty, Jack silently ate his food, his eyes fixated on the scratches in the table. He bounced his leg furiously and chewed slowly. When they finally left the restaurant, Shitty immediately searched for an ice cream shop. Here, Shitty got extra ice cream even though he asked for a medium because the guy scooping ice cream thought he was cute. Shitty wiggled his eyebrows at the group and made his way to an empty picnic table. When they all sat down, Bitty smiled. Even though Jack was a little more quiet than usual, it was a really fun day. He was kind of starting to enjoy all of the attention.

 

"Yo, I say we hit up the beach next," Ransom spoke between licks of his coffee ice cream.

 

"Agreed," Holster nodded at his chocolate, which was already almost gone.

 

Shitty, who somehow already finished his mint chocolate chip, stood almost immediately, "Let's fuckin go, that's a great idea."

 

 When they made it down to the sand, Bitty swore everyone could feel how excited he was as he ripped off his shoes and felt the sand between his toes. The other guys followed suit, while Jack hung back with his camera. Bitty ran down to the shore, wincing when a wave crashed.

 

"Wow," He gasped, "This is amazing." He stared at the waves, listening to them like they were the Earth's pulse. He dipped a toe in, and immediately drew it back, "This is cold!"

 

Shitty slapped his back, laughing, "Yep, the water's always pretty chilly up here." He winked and ran in, immediately drenching his shorts. Bitty smiled and took another step in and giggled when the water tickled his toes. His feet started to sink into the sand as the water drew back. Salt stung at his nostrils as he bent down to pick up a few shells, only to be splashed by a bigger wave. 

 

"Be careful," Jack said softly from behind him. 

 

"I know I'm small, but I think I can handle it." Bitty retorted, though somewhat coldly because Jack had practically ignored him all day, only butting into conversations every now and then.

 

"Can you?" Jack asked, bringing his camera up to his eye and taking pictures of Shitty, Ransom, and Holster roughhousing in the water. As he lowered the camera, the wind blew his hair, and Bitty hated himself for finding it as attractive as he did. Jack walked forward and stood next to him, his camera dangling from his neck. 

 

"Yes," Bitty gritted his teeth, ripping off his shirt and shoving it into Jack's hands, "Watch."

 

"Don't go now." Jack commanded.

 

"And why's that,  _Captain_?" Bitty demanded, throwing his arms into the air.

 

Jack simply pointed past Bitty, who turned around to watch an enormous wave crash and feel the remnants of it almost knock his feet out from under him.

 

"Okay, so maybe I don't know what I'm doing," Bitty crossed his arms.

 

"Not even a little?" Jack asked, smiling.

 

"No," He huffed, turning around, "When should I go?" 

 

"Now." Jack offered gently, almost too soft to hear over the waves. Bitty turned around when he passed what he thought was the breaking point of the waves to see Jack wheel around, camera stuck to his face. He smiled, wondering what it was about this big, dork of a hockey-loving Canadian that made Bitty swoon so hard.

 

On the way back, Bitty was still filled with excitement. He lived the day over and over again in his head. Everyone else except Shitty was asleep though. So Bitty sat, trying to keep it all inside. Next to him, Jack snored softly, the backpack resting on his lap, shifting up and down when he breathed. 

Bitty gently reached for the bag, unzipping it as quietly as he could, and reached his hand in to find the camera. He excitedly turned it on, wincing at the sound it made while booting up. Jack didn't wake up though. Bitty smiled and scrolled through the picture, but by the fifth he noticed something weird. He was in every one. Every single one. Some of them were shots of the whole group, but most of the pictures were just pointless ones of him looking at something, or laughing. There were more pictures of Bitty where he wasn't paying attention, and Jack was a few steps behind. 

He slowly shut the camera off and softly placed it back in the bag, his nerves electrified to the core. Bitty remembered something else from earlier, something else weird Jack did. And even weirder was a text Shitty sent to Lardo. Bitty found himself accidentally reading it.

 

"Jack keeps glaring at all the guys checking Bitty out lmao." 

 

"Oh," Bitty whispered. Shitty hit a bump, cursing as the car shook. Next to him, Jack stirred, lifting his head off the window and rubbing his forehead. He looked down at Bitty with a sleepy smile.

 

"I think you got sunburned." He yawned.

 

"That's okay," Bitty mumbled, "I don't really mind."


	2. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was requested that I do an epilogue so I wrote one really quickly! Please enjoy.

That night Bitty lie awake in bed, thinking about all the pictures he saw on Jack's camera. They had to mean something. It had to mean something, he wasn't just going crazy thinking about it, right? 

The problem was that he was totally, utterly lost. A day ago he thought Jack was straight as an arrow, but now he wasn't so sure. Bitty could use middle school tactics and ask Shitty if he had a chance with Jack, but Shitty would be as cryptic as possible and also Bitty wasn't twelve anymore. (Thank GOD.) 

"I have to tell him," Bitty whispered. He seriously doubted that telling Jack about his feelings would ruin their relationship. He was just a little slow when it came to opening up about them. Not to mention, it'd be worse if his feelings were reciprocated, but Jack didn't want to act on them out of fear of... something. The media, his anxiety, maybe.   
And then there's also the horrible feeling that Jack might think Bitty's too young. Sometimes he made him feel that way, distancing himself at all the right moments with a single sentence. But maybe all the things he said were just a way to test the water, and Bitty stupidly agreed because he thought that's what Jack wanted to hear. Maybe he was the bad guy.

"Oh boy," Bitty smiled sadly, covering his eyes with his arm, "I'm a hot mess."

At this point, he decided, it was all a matter of courage, and when he heard the knock at his bedroom door, it only shattered his train of thought, not resolve. 

"Yes?" Bitty asked politely, sitting up. He rubbed his eyes, thinking himself in circles really made him tired. He just didn't want to mess it up. For him and for Jack.

"It's me, can I come in?" Jack spoke from the other side.

"Sure." Bitty steeled himself, clenching the hemline of his shirt, looking everywhere but the door.

"Hey," Jack practically whispered, shutting the door behind him as he entered.

"Well hey there," Bitty waited, but when Jack didn't respond added, "What's up?"

"I have something to tell you," Jack spoke slowly, as if turning each word over in his mind before deciding it was the right one.

"Perfect! I have to tell you something too." Bitty felt his nerves light up, his stomach twist. 

"You first," Jack's words came fast and easy.

Bitty looked down, bounced a little in place to try to control his nerves, "I ... I, um, ..." Finally, he was fed up with himself, "I really, really like you Jack. Like, romantically." He added in, just to be safe.

Jack's eyes dropped to the floor, but not before his cheeks lit up red. He covered his mouth with his hand and slung the other across his chest.

"And, well, I thought you might feel the same about me, but," Bitty started to tear up, he was so happy with himself for finally saying it, even if Jack looked like he was going to throw up because that could mean anything, "I just wanted to tell you."

"Me too," Jack's voice came shakily through his hand, "I mean... I mean I like you too."

Now Bitty was crying too, but they were both laughing and crying and on opposite sides of the room and the whole thing was stupid, so Bitty stood up and walked over to Jack with his arms wide open. They hugged until they stopped crying.

"I feel like a little kid," Jack sighed, wiping his eyes. 

"Really?" Bitty thought for a moment, then beamed, "I finally feel like an adult."


End file.
